1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is, with respect to an integrated optical device, related to a technique for securing hermetic sealing of a light source portion including a light emitting element and allowing for higher flexibility in designing the outer shape of its packaging.
2. Description of Related Art
An integrated optical component including a light source such as a semiconductor laser, and/or a light receiving element using a photodiode is known to be suitable for down-sizing and low-profiling of the optical devices. For example, such a light emitting/receiving element is used in a head device (a so-called optical pick-up) for use in signal recording and reproduction to and from an optical recording medium.
In this type of devices and where a hermetic sealing of its light emitting element is not performed (plastic molding), a resin mold packaging is used, because it has a greater degree of freedom in the design of an outer shape due to the advantage of resin molding with a die. However, in the case where the light emitting element and the like are desired to be hermetically sealed in order to eliminate adverse effect from impurities in the ambient air, there occur problems that sufficient sealing cannot be achieved due to a limitation in characteristics of the resin materials to be used, or that a particular adhesive required for obtaining a necessary sealing capability cannot be used in a particular circumstance.
For example, as examples in which the hermetic sealing of the light emitting/receiving elements in its package is taken into consideration, there are proposed a method for sealing a ceramic package by bonding a sealing glass after disposing a light emitting element, a light receiving element, optical components and the like thereon, and a method for sealing a metal cap covering a metal package with a sealing glass. Also, there is known a method for fixing a light emitting element to a metal member, and attaching the metal member to a transparent member, as disclosed in the patent reference below. (Japan Patent Application Publication No. 2001-52364, FIGS. 1 and 2.)